A Jewish Israeli woman gave birth at a Palestinian West Bank Hospital, the Palestinian Ma'an news agency reported on Wednesday, with the new mother expressing the hope that the child be awarded Palestinian citizenship.
The woman, a former Haifa resident who moved to the Arab Israeli town of Sakhnin after marrying an Arab Israeli man, went into labor while shopping in central Ramallah, and was ushered to a nearby public hospital.
According to the Ma'an report, the new mother, pictured with a traditional Muslim head cover, or hijab, said that she was happy with the care administered by local hospital staff, adding that she had received a bouquet of roses from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The woman also added that she hoped the child would be awarded Palestinian citizenship.
Ma'an reported that the child was born a healthy 2.3 kg and was transferred for further care to an incubator.
The Palestinian Coordination and Liaison office notified its Israeli counterpart of the birth, offering the couple to transfer to an Israeli hospital. The two, however, declined the offer, saying that they would rather remain in the Ramallah hospital, despite the fact that the woman did not have medical insurance and could not find anyone to cover her medical expenses.
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